Electric time-switch mechanism.



No. 69!,0l4. Patentd Ian. |4,,|902.

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ELECTRIC Tl-ME SWITCH MECHANISM.

(Application filed Nov. 6, 1900.)

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N0. 691,0l4. Patented Jan. l4 I902.

' P. SCRENSEN.

ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH MECHANISM.-

(Application filed. Nov. 6, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFIFiCE.

PETER SORENSEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES JONES AND JAMES JONES, JR., OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK.

.ELECTRIC TIME-SWITCH MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,014, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed November 6,1960. Serial No. 35.614. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.- rection. Said lever preferably comes against Be it known that I, PETER SORENSEN, a citia stop 9 (see Fig. 1) to limit the movement in zen of the UnitedStates, residing in the borone direction, so as to determine the position bugh of Brooklyn, city and State of NewYork, of the lever with reference to the arm of the 5 have invented an Improvement in Time Out-. latch device. The upper end of the lever a, Outs for Electric-Service Systems, of which behind the clock or timepiece mechanism, is the following is a specification. engaged by the alarm-release mechanism, so

My invention relates to a cut-out device put as to swing the lever on its pivot. Any suitin operation bya time-operatedalarm-release able alarm-release mechanism may be emno mechanism for automatically breaking .or .ployed for this purpose. I have, however, shunting the circuits of electric-service sysshown a shaft and rotating arm 1, having a terns at predetermined periods of time. pin thereon adapted to come in contact with In carrying out my invention and in comand move the lever a, and said lever is parbination with a suitable foundation of insutially beneath the clock mechanism, and the 15 lating material and a clock with an alarm-relower part thereof extends below the same lease mechanism I employ a pivoted springabove the foundation. actuated lever set in operation by the time- I employ switch-bars b, pivotally connectpiece. A latch holding pivoted switch-bars ed to contact-s11 pports 2 upon'the foundation in engagement with clip-contacts and com- A and provided with binding-posts for the 2o pleting one or more electric circuits is reline-wires x. The switch-barsbare connected leased by the movement of the said pivoted by a cross-head b, of insulating material, and lever, after which spring-operated devices said cross-head is provided with a handle b come into action and remove the switch-bars by which the switch-bars are swung from the from the clip-contacts to break the circuit'or dotted position, Fig. 2, into engagement with 25 circuits of the service systems, and in so dothe latch device, and the outer end of this ing the switch-bars are thrown over out of handle I) is preferably made with a rubber the way. When thus thrown over, the switchbuffer to strike against the foundation as the bars may reestablish the circuit through a switch is swung over in breaking the circuit. branch or shunt line by coming into engage- I provide the cross-head b witha latch-plate 3. 8o 30 ment with other clip-contacts in said branch 0 represents a spring-actuated plunger in a circuit. case 0, passing through the foundation of in- In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation sulating material, and d represents a springrepresenting my improvement. Fig. 2 is a actuated latch device pivoted to the'block vertical section andpartial elevation of the f, secured to the foundation, and the said 35 same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts latch device is provided with a stop 4 and shown in Fig.2 with the switch-bars thrown an arm 5, the outer end' of the arm 5 beover. Fig. 4 is an elevation representing a ing provided with a roller 7, there being a modification in connection with the switchroller 8 contiguous to the roller 7 and supbars. Fig. 5 is a side elevation representing ported in the block f. Clip-contacts e are se- 40 a further modification, and Fig. 6 is a diacured to the foundation of insulating mategrammatic view of the circuits employable in rial and provided with binding-posts 6 for the connection with the modification Fig. 5.. wire which electrically connects the said clip- Arepresents afoundation, of suitable insucontacts to one another. In the position lating material, to which the various devices shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the switch-bars bare 45 are connected. Usually such foundation has between and in electrical engagement'with been a slab of marble. the clip-contacts e, and the latch-plate 3 of 0. represents a spring-actuated lever, which said switch-bars presses against the springis pivoted to the foundation and preferably actuated plunger 0 to hold the same down in passes beneath the clock-movement, as shown its case, and at the same time the edge of the 5c in Fig. 1. The lever is provided with a spring latch-plate 3 is engaged by the spring-actua for drawing and holding the same in one diated latch device d, and the lower end of the lever a is placed between the rollers 7 and 8 to hold the latch device d into engagement with the edge of the latch-plate ,3. In this position the circuitis complete, and the spring a holds the lever 0. against the stop 9, with the lower end of the lever between said rollers to fix the position of the latch, this being the normal position of the devices while the current is on and before the current is broken or shunted by the operation of the alarm-release mechanism of the clock. The clock alarm-release is fixed for a predetermined period, and when the time of said period arrives the said mechanism is let off in the usual manner, the arm 1, with its pin, striking the upper end of the lever 61 and swinging the same into the dotted position, Fig. 1. As soon as the lower end of the arm a moves out from between the rollers 7 and 8 the spring of the latch device d raises the latch, bringing the rollers together and freeing the engagement of the latch with the edge of the latch-plate 3. The moment this latch-plate is freed by the latch device the plunger 0 comes into operation and forces the pivoted switch-bars Z). out of the clip-contacts e and the momentum carries the switch-bars over and downward into the dotted position shown in Fig. 2, thus breaking the circuit and either putting out the lights run by the circuit or stopping the mechanical devices operated by the current. To remake the circuit, it is only necessary to return the pivoted switchbars to the normal position by hand, in doing which the switch-bars pass between the clip-contacts, the plate 3 presses in the spring actuated plunger, the edge of the latch comes against the stop 4 of the latch-device d, swinging the latch device against its spring and bringing the nose thereof over the edge of the plate 3 and opening the space between the rollers 7 and 8, so that the lever a, moved by the spring a passes in between the rollers 7 and 8, restoring the normal position of the devices in which the electric circuit is made complete.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 a wire spring is employed in the form of a loop with coiled ends around a rod 10. This rod 10 passes through the contact-support 2, and the doubled part or loop of the wire spring is beneath the switch-bar and the free ends are securely held in any desired manner, This spring is useful to insure the movement of the switch-bars, assisting the spring-actuated plunger in case the same becomes sluggish or more or less inactive in its movements.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 one or more clip-contacts e are shown secured to the common foundation, and the switch-bar b is shown as engaged therewith when in the swung-over position and in which the crosshead Z) is positively held by a spring-actuated latch h. Fig. (3 is a diagram illustrating this modification and suitable circuit connections therefor, the object being to reestablish the circuit in the line-wires a: xthrough a shunt-line 11 and the clip-contacts e when the switch-bars b are disengaged from the clip-contacts e and are in engagement with the clip-contacts e and the circuit going to the lamp t' or other electric-service system is broken.

Myinvention is applicable for breaking or shunting electric circuits in electric-light or other electric-service systems either for the purpose of putting out the lights at a predetermined period or shutting 0d the current from machinery, the idea being to control the electric service for lights or machinery in connection with stores, hotels, flats, or other places where electricity is employed for lights or power, so that the vendor of the electricity can control the use and prevent the abuse of the service by the customer.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a time cut-out for electric-service systems, the combination with a timepiece and alarm-release mechanism adapted to be set at predetermined periods, of. a pivoted lever operated by such mechanism, a pivoted switch, an electriccircuit made by the switch in one position and broken by the switch in its opposite position, a latch held in position by the aforesaid lever for engaging the switch and a spring-actuated device for swinging the switch when released by the latch to break the circuit, substantially as set forth.

2. In a time cut-out for electric-service systems, the combination with a timepiece and alarm-release mechanism adapted to be set at predetermined periods, of a pivoted lever, a spring and stop for holding the lever in one direction, means connected with the alarmrelease for moving the lever in the opposite direction, pivoted switch-bars, electric connections to the pivoted end of the switch-bars, and clip-contacts engaged by the switch-bars in one position, a latch device engaging the pivoted switch-bars and means for holding the latch in engagement with the switch-bars by the lower end of the said lever, and a spring-actuated plunger bearing upon the pivoted switch-bars for forcing the same out of the clip-contacts when released by the latch upon the swinging of said lever, substantially as set forth.

3. In a time cut-out for electric-service systems, the combination with a timepiece and alarm-release mechanism, adapted to be set at predetermined periods, of a pivoted lever, a spring and stop for holding the lever in one direction, means connected with the alarm-' release for moving the lever in the opposite direction, pivoted switch-bars and a crosshead of insulating material connecting the same at one end, a latch-plate and a handle connected to the cross-head, contact-supports at the pivoted end of said switch-bars and electrical contacts thereto, clip-contacts and electrical connections between the same engaging the said switch-bars, a spring-actuated latch device engaging the latch-plate of the switch-bars and held in engagement by the interposition of the lower end of the aforesaid lever, and a spring-actuated plunger for forcing outward the pivoted switch-bars when released by the latch to disconnect the same from the clip-contacts, substantially as set forth.

4. In a time cut-out for electric-service systems, the combination with a timepiece and alarm-release mechanism adapted to be set at predetermined periods, of alpivoted lever, a spring and stop for holding the lever in one direction, means connected with the alarmrelease for moving the lever in the opposite direction, pivoted switch-bars and a crosshead of insulating material connecting the same, a handle and a latch-plate connectedto said cross-head, contact-supports to which said switch-bars are pivoted and electrical connections thereto, clip-contacts electrically connected and engaged by the switch-bars, a spring-actuated latch device pivoted to the block of insulating material and having a stop 4 and an arm 5 between which arm 5 and block of insulating material the lower end of the aforesaid pivoted lever is interposed to hold the latch in engagement with the latchplate, and a spring-actuated plunger bearing upon the latch-plate and adapted to force the pivoted switch-bars out of engagement with the clip-contacts when released by the latch device, substantially as set forth.

5. In a time cut-out for electric-service systems, the combination with a timepiece and alarm-release mechanism adapted to be set at predetermined periods, of' a pivoted lever, a spring and stop for holding the lever in one direction, means connected with the alarmrelease for moving the lever in the opposite direction, a pair of pivoted switch-bars, a crosshead of insulating material connecting the same, a handle and a latch-plate connected to said cross-head,contact-supports to which said switch-bars are pivoted,and electrical connections thereto, clip-contacts electrically connected and engaged by the switch-bars, a spring-actuated latch device pivoted to the block of insulating material and having a stop t and an arm 5 between which'a'rmw5 and block of insulating material the lower end of the aforesaid pivoted lever is interposed to hold the latch in engagement with the latchplate, a roller 7 upon the free end of the arm 5 and a roller 8 in the block of insulating material in proximity thereto, and between which rollers the lower end of the arm a is interposed, and a spring-actuated plunger bearing upon the latch-plate and adapted to force the pivoted switch-bars out of engagement with the clip-contacts when released by the latch device, substantially as set forth.

6. In a time cut-out for electric-service systems, the combination with a timepiece and alarm-release mechanism adapted to be set at predetermined periods, of a pivoted lever operated by such mechanism, a pivoted switch, an electric circuit made by the switch in one position and broken by the switch in its oppositeposition ,a latch for engaging the switch held in position by the aforesaid lever and a spring-actuated device for swinging the lever when released by the latch to break the circuit, clip-contacts engaged by the pivoted switch in its swung-over position, a latch for holding the switch and a shunt-circuit made by the switch in this latter position, substantially as specified.

Signed by me this 31st day of October, 1900.

PETER SORENSEN. Witnesses:

W. 0. KING, 0. TAYLOR. 

